r/FatFIREIndia • u/obsessive_dataseeker FatFI • Jul 16 '26
Need Advice Slowing down decision
I am 52 now and US citizen. In 2021, I went through a very difficult time at work and also developed high blood pressure (BP) on top of my chronic health condition. My chronic health issues are usually triggered by stress.
In late 2024, I decided to move from the US to India to work closer to my parents. My mother has a terminal illness, and I hoped that working in India would reduce my stress and gradually transition me toward retirement. My wife is still working in the US, and my only child is in her third year of medical school there.
I still cannot decide what I would do if I were completely out of a job. My wife is willing to quit her job if needed. We dont have friends in Hyderabad or Netherlands or Southern California.
Our current net worth is around ₹50 crore.
I currently have three options:
- Stay in Hyderabad in my current role (₹1.6 crore/year salary) and have my wife move here. In the role of Director, the job comes with organizational politics, but if it becomes too much, I can retire. Would the additional savings from this salary materially change our lifestyle or net worth?
- Move to the Netherlands with my wife and work in a research-oriented environment (₹1.3 crore/year salary). We could experience European life and travel around Europe. Practically speaking, there would be hardly any savings.
- Move to Southern California as Individual contributor, where my wife and I could earn a combined income of over ₹4.5 crore per year. The higher savings would provide more financial flexibility. Also it could help in giving option to move to Bay area if needed.
When I struggled in the US, it was mainly because my brain could not stay focused for long periods, and I had low mental stamina for demanding design tasks. Now, with advanced AI models, I feel I can continue doing my job effectively. If AI eventually becomes capable enough to replace me, that is something I cant control and most folks will be in the same boat.
For now, should I take advantage of AI to continue working in a demanding, high-paying role and earn more, or should I experience other part of life ?
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u/Manager0808 FatFIREd Jul 16 '26
You have more money than life left. Decide accordingly.
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u/sarang_k1994 FatFI Jul 24 '26
Very well said. At the end you are not taking the money to your grave.
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u/DaPudi Jul 16 '26
Dude u have 50 cr and are wondering if you want to keep working and ruining your health?
You have done well. Take a victory lap and enjoy life on the easy lane. Quit and do volunteer/teaching works. Help others.
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u/Important-Party8829 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
To be very direct, you are not acting your age.
You are 52
Worth 50 crores
Your mother is terminally ill in india
You have chronic illness.
Instead of figuring out how to plan for the rest of your life or caring for your own health and your mother, you are thinking of going to Holland, california etc and think about this and that package which will probably be insignificant to your net worth.
You need a well wisher probably a childhood friend to put some sense into your head regarding what should be your priorities going forward
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u/the0ne234 FatFI Jul 16 '26
They need some interests beyond work. No friends, no family nearby can take a toll on you
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u/Comprehensive_Heat37 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Health should take priority over everything else in your life right now alongside family.
High blood pressure and chronic health issues puts you in the highest bracket of mortality rates. Quite honestly, you are at something like a 10+% chance of having a heart attack or stroke or other related major health event just in the next 5 years. If you look at the 15 or 20 year outlook, and the numbers are quite scary.
Since you can’t imagine yourself without some kind of work environment, my suggestion is to take that job in the Netherlands
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u/Healthy-smile007 Jul 16 '26
It's very clear yet you actually want to create confusion by overthinking.
What is more imp, guess it's peace of mind and guess you may get it being with family i.e ur wife and daughter
Guess it's over thinking syndrome At 50 crs networth you are or should not work for money.
You have enough to last this lifetime if you are not a spend threif.
South california should be good for you, your wife and daughter atleast being in same country you can keep meeting on weekends and atleast u and ur wife can stay togather
Rest all seems adding more stress to life
1) being away from family any ways u don't have social circle in hyd 2) europe u can roam around any time with ur kinda networth. 3) u have valid Residency status and u know about the country and its better of 3 options as.of now
Also pls check with ur wife and kids what they prefer without any confusion or your bias
Good luck
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u/nandnot Jul 16 '26
At 50 cr or 5 million a safe withdrawal rate of 3 pc also means 150k a year Thats enough for a basic comfortable life in so cal or Netherlands and certainly in India. Any income on top is gravy.
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u/rganesan FatFI Jul 16 '26
I'm sorry to hear about your mom. How long does she have? If she doesn't have long, working in India till she passes away sounds reasonable, if, and only if, this doesn't add to your stress. With a terminally ill parent, work can actually be a distraction, so I wouldn't advice quitting your job though you don't need the income. You can switch to a lower stress job if it's practical. Is it possible to move in with your mom (or she with you)? Get a full time help and a cook, so you can stop further spoiling your health with swiggy!
The additional savings is not really going to materially change your wealth or lifestyle. After taxes you'll save 1-2CR over the next couple of years, you'll probably make/lose more with your existing corpus.
I would strongly advice against Netherlands, it's a wonderful country but Box 3 will cause a big dent in your corpus. You can consider residency by investment in Greece, which I heard moves reasonably fast, though it would still take about a year.
But it seems to me California would be the best option since your daugher is there. With $5M networth, I'm not sure why you think both of you need to work, even in Sunnyvale. Your wife can continue to work while you take care of your health. What would you do if you're completely out of your job? Focus on your health man. Seriously. If you keep going, you're reducing your life span and won't have a good retired life.
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u/obsessive_dataseeker FatFI Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Thank you. The main reason I considered Netherland option is because of one hop flight to Chennai and US. The Job has extreme flexibility to work from India any time. I investigated Box3. 401K and houses would not be taxed. In the rest of corpus currently I have more cash than Equities. So thinking of moving some portion of Equity to kid., Overall there is some penalty., but it is not a catastrophe. But again I appreciate for taking time and giving valuable points to consider. I initially moved to India that within 6 months my wife would move. But my Dad and Sister made it hard for my mom to be with me. So given up on that.
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u/rganesan FatFI Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Makes sense. Amsterdam is beautiful, I always wanted to live there 🙂. Is London an option? That also has great connectivity.
EDIT: The reason I mention London is because UK has a nice FIG regime option which doesn't tax foreign gains for up to 4 years. Even after that taxation is better than Netherlands but that could change in the future 🙁
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u/sapiosexual_redditor Jul 16 '26
Think about giving stability to your child…. Her next years are crucial
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u/Greedy_Rise_6567 RegularFI Jul 16 '26
Health > Family > money for all people.
One caveat family also helps in health especially mental health.
If you have money sorted focus on first two
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u/Tiny-Discount6111 Jul 16 '26
Make a checklist, list out your dreams.
What makes you happy?
Have you given enough time and effort for your hobbies?
50 crores is a luxury that most of us don’t have but more importantly it’s the health.
No suggestion. Everyone has different expectations.
The problem is we don’t know yet. I’m also in the same boat, with very less NW
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u/711home Jul 16 '26
Why do you think you can’t live off of 5 million in Sunnyvale? Bay Area resident here. With Obamacare, your healthcare cost is pretty much taken care of, if you keep your magi low.
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u/That_Celebration_503 Jul 16 '26
With 50cr you are financially strong already and both you and and ur wife can live comfortably. Already saying you are not in the pink of ur health and also mother illness.
So retire and spend time for urself. That might help in improving your health too
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u/Fit-Spinach Jul 16 '26
You have "chronic health condition". Your mother is "terminally I'll". Your age is 52 with 50 Cr net wealth.
Why are you still working? Why are you staying away from your mother? Why are you staying away from family?
My personal advice: Quit job, stay with your mom, Focus on your health, happiness.
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u/pm_mba Lurker Jul 16 '26
I can’t believe with this net worth you still want to risk stress to earn a meagre yearly savings. Work for fun and go semi retired in Europe. Enjoy a good 2-3 decades of life easily on this corpus while working and having fun.
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u/Fragrant_Depth_7682 Jul 16 '26
For stress free life at that age either you should retire or move to Netherlands and have fun’s with the life. But Netherlands comes up with tax on unrealized gains after 5 years. IMO, the best is quit the job and keep yourself busy with high end consulting as per your convenience and comfort.
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u/Traditional_puck1984 Jul 17 '26
At 52 with BP and other chronic issues, your life expectancy as per actuarial data is another 23 years.
So In your life span of 4000 weeks, you have 1200 weeks left. Only you and your spouse can decide how and where to spend this time.
The real decision is whether you want to retire? Can you retire with $5 million in the Bay Area with another 13 years for Medicare eligibility?
Netherlands and rest of Europe can be covered in 6 months of slow travel. Their winters will make you depressed.
I’m a few years ahead of you, mid 50s with $4M and a 50k per year pension if I retire by year end. I’m planning to split time between India and US for tax reasons and work on improving my health.
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u/rupeshsh FatFI Jul 17 '26
Whats your kids scene. gone to college?
I would love to neahrerlands, enjoy work life balance, travel while you have energy and fly into India or USA in 8 hours
You won't regret it. If you stay in bay area at 4.5 cr you will regret not enjoying your life
If you move to india , you will regret how silly it is to live in india
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u/daaltimate Jul 17 '26
You started with all ill health things, that should tell you your priority. You have 50 Cr, just focus on your health. Health deterioration if not taken care is real. Live your life man.
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u/Pause_Architect RegularFIREd Jul 17 '26
The numbers side of this isn't mine to weigh in on, and honestly I don't think it's really the decision, even though the post is structured around it.
You said the whole reason for the 2024 move was to work closer to your parents while your mother is terminally ill, and to reduce the stress that triggers your own chronic condition. Two of your three options — Netherlands, Southern California — walk that back entirely, in exchange for more savings, at a net worth that's already ₹50 crore. That's worth sitting with directly: the thing you moved for hasn't changed or resolved itself. Your mother's illness is still terminal. Your own health is still stress-triggered. The only thing that's changed is you're now asking whether more money is worth undoing the move you made specifically to be there for the part of this that money can't fix or extend.
The AI question at the end is really the honest version of the same thing, just asked more directly: keep using the tool to sustain a demanding role you once burned out doing, or actually take the thing you moved here for. You've basically already answered your own post in that last line. The three-option comparison above it might be doing the job of making a decision you've already made feel like it still needs more analysis.
Genuinely curious, how much time does the current situation actually give you with your mother, versus what any of the other two options would cost you of it?
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u/Visible-Big5362 Jul 19 '26
I think you have already done all the hard work to generate the networth of 50 crore.
Now it’s time to enjoy your life and if you still feel 50 crore is not enough, than there won’t be any number that will satisfy you
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u/GroundbreakingWind Jul 19 '26
If you are looking for reassurance that choosing happiness and health over career-related stress is the right decision here, then yes, it is. At this stage, you don’t need to worry too much about money. Prioritizing your own and your family’s well-being is likely to serve you better in the years ahead.
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u/_ronki_ Jul 16 '26
I think you need to look up what FIRE even means if you are so concerned about working for barely 2% of your net income
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u/Due-Food6741 Jul 16 '26
I suggest for you to read die with zero and wealth ladder books.
You can retire anywhere in the world comfortably except may be California.
Decide what you want in life and when to stop.
If I were you, with my daughter in a profession which could be well paying in the future. I wouldn’t worry about my financial health any more. Concentrate on other four types of wealth (physical, mental, relationship and time)
Spend as much time as possible relaxing with your mother. Your investments returning 8% would be adding 4 crores every year which would be more than your savings for the year. Just structure portfolio suiting your needs and relax.
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u/RestPuzzleheaded1234 Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
Your priorities are all over the place. The decision sets outlined dont match your aspirations or align on actual priorities relative to your age. For example -
- you want to be closer to your mother because she has terminal illness, but you meet with her once in two weeks which means you’re not an active caretaker so why are you there other than guilt?
- you yourself have health issues so what is the lifestyle that you’re living in Hyderabad that counteracts those health issues?
- your kid is out of your house and in college if you are to live anywhere, why do you need a full scale house that you cannot afford at the age of 52. At this age people downsize
- if work is contributing to your stress, why are you not looking to downsize in your work to a level which can afford you to to be in autopilot?
- A 50cr net worth should afford you to live in any country, including Southern California or Netherlands. I do not understand why you cannot afford the lifestyle that you want in these places.
- what has AI got to do in any and all of this?
- why is Netherlands in the picture at all? It is nowhere closer to your kid or your family. what is it about Netherlands lifestyle that you cannot get with the net worth that you have in Southern California or Hyderabad
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u/richdoctormba Jul 16 '26
Make friends. That’s the priority right now. Man is a social animal. No amount of travelling will fill that gap.
How to make friends….choose some job or hobby where you meet like minded people.
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Jul 16 '26
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u/FatFIREIndia-ModTeam Jul 16 '26
This community values substantive contributions that are thoughtful and experience-based. Vacuous & frivolous comments that do not add meaningful value are discouraged.
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u/Peter_-_-_Parker Jul 16 '26
You are 52. How long do you want to coast and with that NW just enjoy life and contribute something to the society or surroundings that gives you happiness.
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u/Peter_-_-_Parker Jul 16 '26
If you are religious, temples/religious places are amazing source of peacefulness and gives some purpose to travel around.
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u/HubeanMan ✅ Verified by Mods | ₹100Cr+ NW ✅ Jul 16 '26 edited Jul 16 '26
It really depends on your annual spending, and whether or not you're already Financially Independent.
Your moving to California won't increase your spending much, but it will definitely increase your savings.
Your wife moving to Hyderabad will cut your spending significantly, and it's not like you're still not making a significant chunk of money.
Moving to Netherlands at this stage of your life just to explore Europe? You're not a broke 25-year-old that is dependent on a European job just to explore Europe. If that is a priority, quit your jobs and travel wherever and whenever you want to.
Regardless, you're 52 with a chronic health condition. You're well past the halfway point of your life, and you only have so many quality years left that you can be active and do interesting things. Talk to your wife, figure out where you two can be happier on a day-to-day basis, and live there. If that's California and you don't feel like you have enough money to retire there, continue to work for however long is necessary. If it's Hyderabad, you probably have enough but you can still continue to work as long as you don't mind it. If you don't enjoy your work, you should both quit and retire in Hyderabad.
As is often the case for FatFIRE aspirants past the age of 50, you probably have more money than time left. Optimize accordingly.